What a difference a budget makes.

Me Grocery Shopping before a budget:

“Hmmm, how much should I get out from the bank? Well, its been like 5 days since I shopped for groceries, so I guess I’ll take out $125. That should be enough.”

“Alright, here I am at the store. Yum! Those muffins on clearance look good, I guess I’ll grab a few of those. And maybe I should get some of these yogurts cups to go with them, that’s practically a meal right there. OK, gotta get back on track here. Diapers, wipes, Oh look, they have a new diaper rash cream, I still have a few other kinds at home but this one looks really nice, I think I’ll grab one. Milk, eggs, butter. Ooh grated cheese is on sale, I’ll buy a few of those too.”

“OK, produce, I want to make that one recipe, so that means I’ll need Asparagus, wow I didn’t know asparagus was so pricey. Oh well. Fruit, Salad, Now meat, lets see. Skinless boneless chicken breast is on sale, I’ll get some of that. Oops, got to go get garbage bags, man there are so many kinds! Ummm, oh there’s HEFTY, I remember that commercial, they are supposed to be the best. I should grab that. Oh and I have that coupon for that spaghetti sauce, so I’ll get a few of those since its such a great deal.”

“I hope I haven’t forgotten anything, well I can always send hubby out if I did. Man this line is long, look at that bag of chocolate covered peanuts, I’m starving. Maybe I should get it, or maybe the Doritos. What? My total is $186? How did I go that far over my cash? Well, there were some pretty good deals, so I guess I am saving money in the long run. Good thing I have my credit card.”

Me Grocery Shopping after a budget:

“This trip has to last 2 weeks, so I will take half of the cash allotted for this month in my food envelope. I finished my menu plan last night, all I have to do is make sure my grocery list is complete. Have I run out of anything? Oh yeah I wrote ketchup on the notepad on the fridge, I completely forgot about that. Better add it to the list.”

“At the store, Wow look at that clearance rack of candy! Too bad its not on the list. I need a bag of wipes, still good on diapers since I’ve been stretching them by using cloth diapers. Oh look a new diaper rash cream! Well, I don’t really need it since I still have 2 half-empty tubes at home. Maybe next time.”

“Milk, eggs, butter. I’m out of cheese, I’ll get that brick of Marble Cheddar, it’s good for almost any recipe that calls for cheese and I can grate it myself. Produce. Fruit. Carrots, Potatoes, Cabbage, Celery, Onions are all the cheapest veggies this time of year. I think I’m going to get some broccoli too, wait, that’s a ridiculous price for broccoli, I guess I won’t be making that meal. But there is a new shipment of Green Peppers at a great price, I’ll get a pack of those and see if I can use them for anything. Meat. I’ll buy a whole chicken, that should be good for at least 2 meals, probably 3. And this beef is under $2 a pound. That’s what I needed.”

“Garbage bags, the generic drawstrings bags are crummy, but the generic black bags are sturdy, and like half the price of the brand name. I need dishwasher detergent too, the brand name is a little more, but I have double coupons for it and the generic was worthless. I have coupons for that spaghetti sauce too, wow, even with the coupons the brand name is double what the generic is. Guess I’m getting the generic.”

“OK, that’s everything. Oops, except the treat from the bakery, always a good idea to get something to keep the girls happy in line and tide me over till lunch. Lets see, those giant cookies are 50 cents a piece, I’ll get one of those and we can split it. $192, that leaves me $8 extra dollars to put back in the Food envelope.”

How has budgeting made a difference in how you shop?